Draft rigging



Oct. 10, 1933.

Jj H. UNK

DRAFT RIGGING Filed May 28. 1932 F/Q'g. 4

@ ffl.

Z127 /nzfenior John A. Link Patented Oct. 10, 1933 iiiiTED STATE ANT DRAFT RIGGING John H. Link, Mcrion, Pa., assigner to W. l. Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware This invention relates to improvements in draft riggings for mine cars.

One object of the invention is to provide shock absorbing means especially adapted for mine cars for absorbing the draft and buffing shocks, so designed that both the draft and buiiing shocks are absorbed by the same shock absorbing means but only half of the capacity of the shock absorbing means is employed in draft. Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the character specied in the preceding paragraph simple and emcient means for transmitting the draft forces from the draft member to the shock absorbing means in such a manner that the movement of the draft member will c greater than the amount of compression of the shock absorbing means produced thereby so that the total movement of the draft member will equal the movement of the hurling member of the rigging while the shock absorbing means is compressed only to half of its compression stroke.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

in the drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view, partly broken away, through one end of a mine car, illust-retinor my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is an elevational View of the structure shown in Figure 1, looking upwardly said last named figure. And Figures 3 and 4 are vertical Aectional views, corresponding respectively to the lines 3 3 and /i-l of Figure 2. In said drawing, 10 designates the vertical end wall of a mine car, and 11 the floor of said car. As shown in 'Figure 2, the middle section of the floor of the car is depressed, the bottom of said depressed portion being formed by a longitudinally extending plate 12, and the side walls being defined by beams 11B- 13, which in effect form sill members extending lengthwise of the car.

The beams 13-13 have top and bottom flanges le and 15, the top flange 14 of each beam being ined to the bottom of the car and the bottom flange l5 supporting the iioor plate 12.

My improved draft rigging comprises a main supporting casting A, which is fixed to the end of the car; a buffing head B; a draft member C; a lever D; and a sprincr resistance comprising three coils E-E-E.

The casting A has a vertical wall 16, side iianges lil-17, and a bottom flange 18. The uper end of the wall 16 of the casting A overlaps the end wall 10 of the car, as clearly shown in Figure 3, and is secured thereto by rivets or other sirnilar securing elements. The two side flanges 17-17 are riveted to the vertical web sections of the longitudinally extending beams 13-13, and the bottoni flange 1S is secured to the floor plate 12. On the outer side at the bottom thereof the casting A is provided with a fulcrum ledge 19 having a seat 2f) thereon. lThe casting A also has two pairs of outwardly projecting guide arms 21--21 and 21-21, which serve to slidingly support the bufnng head B, as hereinafter pointed out.

The buliing head B has a vertical front wall 22, which is transversely curved so as to provide an outer bufhng surface adapted to engage with a similar bumng head on the adjacent car. The bufimg head B hollow and has spaced top and bottom walls 23 and 24, which are connected by vertical side walls 25-25. The midsections of the top and bottom walls of the buffing head B are out away at the rear side, as indicated at 26-26, so as to accommodate the lever D for swinging movement. As clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and si, the guide arms 21-21 embrace the top and bottom walls 23 and 24 of the bumng head, thereby slidingly supporting the head for movement toward and away from the end of the car. Outward movement'of the buning head B is limited by a pair of vertically arranged bolts 227-27, which extend through aligned openings in the pairs of top and bottom arms 21-21 and the top and bottom walls 23 and 24 of the bufling head B. The openings in the top and bottom walls of the buing head are in the form of slots 28-28 so as to permit the required inward movement of the buiiing head during a hurling action. In addition to limiting the outward movement of the bufling head, the bolts 27-2'7 serve to connect the bufng head to the supporting casting A and hold the parts of the mechanism assembled.

The lever D is in the form of a casting having a relatively wide lower end section 29 engaged in the seat 20 of the ledge 19 of the casting A. The bottom end of the section 29 is rounded, as indicated at 130, so as to provide the proper fulcruming action. At the upper end, the lever D is forked, the members of said forked portion, which are indicated by .20-30, being connected by a transverse barlike section 31 formed integral therewith. The rear of the barlike section 31 is rounded olf, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

The draft member C, which is in the form of a U-shaped yoke strap, is connected to the forked upper end portion of the lever D, the arms 32-32 lio of said yoke having aligned openings 33-33 at their outer ends adapted to receive a coupling pin 34, which is engaged through the usual coupling link 35. As is well understood, the coupling link 35 serves to connect the car to the adjacent car. In order to accommodate the lower end of the pin 34, the topwall 23 of the hurling head B is longitudinally slotted, as indicated at 36. The lever D is widened between the upper and lower ends, as indicated at 37, said widened portion being provided with three forwardly facing spring pockets 38-38-38- The shock absorbing spring means, which comprises the three coils opposes inward movement of the bufdng head B and outward movement of the pivoted lever D. The three springs E--E-E disposed. within the bufrlng head and have their front and rear ends bearing respectively on the front end wall of the burTing head B and on the section 37 of the lever D. The rear ends of the t ree springs are seated respectively in the pool-:ets 38-38-38 of said `lever. As clearly illustrated Figure 3,

. rear edges of the top and bottom walls 23 and 2e of the buing head B are normally spaced frein the forward side of the lever D so as to permit the necessary forward swinging movement of said lever in draft and also limit the movement of the lever when the draft stroke has been completed. The lever D normally bears on the vertical wall 16 of the supporting casting A, said wall forming in eiect stop means for the rearward movement of the lever D.

The operation of my improved draft rigging is as follows: Upon a buffing force being applied to the bufiing head B, the latter is forced inwardly toward the end of the car, thereby compressing the three springs against the lever D, which at this time is held stationary by thestop wall 16 of the casting A. The bufng stroke of the hea-d B is limited by engagement of said head with the lever D.

Upon a pulling action being applied to the linl; 35 in draft, the pull is transmitted through the yoke CA to the upper end of the lever D and the latter is rocked on its fulcruni end portion 29, thereby compressing the three springs from their rear ends. During this time, the bufdng head B acts as abutment means for the front ends of the springs the bolts 27-27 holding the bufng head B against outward movement. Forward movement of the lever D is limited by engagement with the hurling head B. When the movement of the lever D is limited in draft, the springs E-E-E will have been compressed to an amount which is half of the compression thereof during a hung stroke of the bufdng head B. Inasmuch as the lever D is connected at its upper end to the yoke C and has its lower end fulcrurned on the support A, the intermediate portion of the lever D, which engages the springs will be pulled outwardly substantially half the distance that the yoke is pulled outwardly by the link 35, thus permitting a total travel of the yoke C which is equal to the movement of the puffing head during a complete buing stroke while effecting compression of the springs E-E-E to an extent which is approximately half of the full compression stroke thereof,

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner oi' carrying out my invention, but the saine is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. In a draft rigging for` mine cars, the combination with a bufling head at the end of the car supported for movement inwardly toward said end of the car; of a shock absorbing device opposing inward movement of said head; a draft member movable away from the car; and a lever fulcrumed at one end on the car and connected at the other end to lsaid draft member, said lever having the midsectionthereof engaging with said shock absorbing device to compress the same.

2. In a draft rigging for mine cars, the combination with a supporting structure fixed to the end of the car; of a bufdng head slidingly carried. by said supporting structure; a shock absorbing means opposing inward movement of the bufling head; a draft member adapted to be coupled to an adjacent car; and a lever fulcrumed at one end on said supporting structure and having the other end swiveled to said draft member, the midsection of said lever engaging the rear end of said shock absorbing means to transmit draft shocks thereto.

3. In a draft rigging for mine cars, the combination with a supporting structure fixed t0 the end of the car; of a bufing head slidingly carried by said supporting structure; a shock absorbing means opposing inward movement of the puffing head; a draft member adapted to be coupled to an adjacent car; and a lever fulcrurned at its lower end on said supporting structure and having-its upper end connected to the inner end of the draft member, said lever bearing between its ends on the inner ends of said shock absorbing means.

4. In a draft rigging for mine cars, the combination with a supporting structure xed to the end of the car, said structure having a ledge at the bottom thereof; of a lever fulcrumed at its lower end on said ledge; shock absorbing means bearing at its inner end on said lever at a point above the fulcrum thereof; a draft member swiveled to the upper end of said lever; and a bufling head engaging the outer end of said shock absorbing means, said bufiing head being slidingly carried on the supporting structure.

5. In a draft rigging for mine cars, the combination with a supporting structure xed to one end of the car, said supporting structure having a stop face and a ledge, said ledge being at the bottom of the stop face; of a lever fulcrumed at its lower end on said ledge and held against rearward rocking movement by said stop face; a spring having the rear end thereof bearing on the forward side of said lever at a point beween the ends of said lever; means swiveled to the upper end of the lever for connecting the same to the coupling means of an adjacent car; and a bufiing head slidingly guided on said supporting structure, said buiiing head bearing on the outer end of said spring.

JOHN H. LINK. 

